Secrets of the Past
by Mother Midnight
Summary: The Back Draft group has been defeated, but that doesn't mean that the Blitz team can rest! A dangerous man with a mysterious zoid is on the loose, and he is after Bit! Who is this man, and just what are his connections to Bit? Read to find out! B/L
1. Prologue

**-_Prologue_-**

Sigmund Freud said that the first five or six years of our lives will determine what type of person we will be. Anything we experience during that period of time is critical to our future. Sometimes we will try to forget our past, and other times we struggle to remember it. But no matter what we choose to do, our past is always with us. No one really knows how or why our memories are altered over time, but we know there's no escaping it. Perhaps it's just one of the many secrets of the past.

---

_**Until next time...**_


	2. Haunted

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ZOIDS. SEEING HOW THIS FACT DOES NOT CHANGE WITH EACH CHAPTER, I WILL ONLY SAY IT ONCE._

**-_Haunted_-  
**

"Bit come down for dinner right now!"

"Okay mom!" a very young Bit called. He put down his toys and ran happily down the stairs. Wonderful smells met his nose as he entered the dining room. Bit looked at his chair and frowned. "Mom! You forgoted my booster seat! How am I 'apposed to reach the table?"

"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to." his mother said from the kitchen. She soon appeared holding a booster seat. "Here you go sweetheart."

"Thanks mommy. Where is Tai an' Amanda?"

"They are in the basement playing with their toys, why don't you go get them for me?" his mother asked sweetly.

"Okay!" Bit saluted his mom and she giggled at his action. Satisfied that he made his mother laugh, he ventured toward the basement to get his brother and sister. As he reached for the basement door it swung open and hit him square on the nose.

"Oh, sorry Bit, are you all right?" his sister asked. Bit grunted in response.

"Watch where you're goin'!" he yelped while gingerly rubbing his nose. "I was comin' down to get you an' Tai. Mommy says dinner is ready."

"Yeah, we know that's why we're coming up." Tai said rather smartly, making Bit stick out his tongue. Just then the front door opened and a man with blond hair and green eyes walked in.

"Daddy!" the children exclaimed as they embraced their father.

"Well hello to you too." he said while chuckling. "Where's your mom?"

"She's in the kitchen." Bit replied. "Hey mommy! Daddy's home!"

His mother poked her head out of the kitchen and grinned. "Hey Alex, how was your day?"

"Fine dear." he said while admiring her beauty. Everything about her was perfect. She had long, flowing strawberry hair that shimmered in the light, brilliant blue eyes, and a stunning smile. He had to hand it to her she was a young mother—only 27—but she handled their three children very well. His smile widened when he brought his eyes to her swollen stomach. "And how have you two been?" he asked while kissing her belly and then her face.

"Tired. Very tired." she sighed, and then laughed. "Just one more week and then I can see my feet again." Her husband laughed at this.

"Very true, my sweet Marie…", he said in between kisses, "But we'll also have another little girl." He continued kissing her down her neck. Bit couldn't take much more of this.

"Yuck." he said while making a face. His parents laughed at him.

"You won't think it's so yucky when you're older. Just wait until you meet a nice girl and fall in love."

"Ewww! I'm never gonna fall in love with a icky girl!"

"Hey!" Amanda exclaimed. "I'm a girl and I happen to know that girls aren't the icky ones!" Bit stuck out his tongue and she followed suit.

"Alright you two!" his mother chimed in. "How about we have dinner? I'm starving!" Everyone laughed and sat down to eat.

Half way through dinner they got a big surprise. Just as Marie Cloud was dishing out some more potatoes, someone came crashing through their front door.

"Hold it right there Cloud." The man said while brandishing a knife. "I don't like the way you are running things at the Zoid Battle Commission." Three more men appeared behind the first one.

"W-who are you and what do you want?" Alex Cloud said while stepping in front of his family.

"The name's Zim. And I want you dead." Just as Bit's father opened his mouth, a knife met his stomach. He made an odd gurgling sound and blood began to pour out of his mouth.

"Daddy!" Bit cried.

"Shut up boy. Your daddy had it coming to him for a long time." As the man said this he twisted the knife and slid Alex off of it. He examined the bloody knife and pushed his victim to the floor. "I just love the sight of blood, don't you?"

Bit starred in shock as his father choked on the floor. His mother ran over to him and held his head.

"Please don't die." she whispered through tears.

"I…l-love…you." he said as he spat out blood. Then his eyes met up with his attacker. "Pl-please…don't…k-kill…let th…them…live." His head collapsed and his eyes glazed over; he was gone.

"No. No. You can't go!" his mother screamed through hysterical sobs.

"Aww, such a shame. He won't be getting his dieing wish." Bit's mother looked up at the man as he slit her stomach open, revealing her intestines. She stared at the man in shock.

"Why?" she whispered as she fell to the floor.

"Because I can, bitch." The stranger turned his gaze to the three terrified children. "And now for you…"

---

Bit shot up in bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat. He ran his hand through his wild blonde hair and sighed. _When will these dreams leave me?_ he asked himself. _It has been ten years since then. Why do these images still haunt me?_. Bit sighed once again, knowing that he wouldn't get any more sleep that night. He rolled out of bed and decided to go for a run with Liger.

---

_**Until next time...**_


	3. Unveiled

_**-Unveiled-**_

_We make ourselves a place apart_

_Behind light words that tease and flout,_

_But oh, the agitated heart_

_Till someone find us really out._

'_Tis pity if the case require_

_(Or so we say) that in the end_

_We speak the literal to inspire_

_The understanding of a friend._

_But so with all, from babes that play_

_At hide-and-seek to God afar,_

_So all who hide too well away_

_Must speak and tell us who they are._

_-Robert Frost_

**---**

It was four AM, and the only noise that could be heard throughout the base was the slow, mechanical sound of Bit's bare feet padding against the cool metal floor. The noise, though usually quiet, seemed to eco off the walls and triple in volume. Bit was mesmerized by the monotonous sound—so much so that he had long since passed his destination. Upon reaching zone B of the base, Bit realized that he had forgotten to turn down the corridor that would take him to the hangar. Not really caring too much, he continued to trudge down the dim hallway, listening to the patter of his feet hitting the floor.

Before long he found himself entering zone A—where the kitchen and recreation area were located. Bit decided that he might as well exit the base and circle around to the hangar and enter through the back. At least it would provide a less morbid atmosphere. As he was entering the code to unlock the front door, a light flicked on behind him. Squinting his eyes from the bright light, he turned around to see who was up. _Of course, it just had to be her_ Bit thought once his eyes had adjusted to the light. _Of all the people in the base, it just had to be her_.

Ignoring her, he made for the door, hoping against hopes that he could leave without an explanation. But fate would not have it.

"Bit? Is that you?"

Grimacing slightly, he turned around to face his teammate. "Oh! Uh…hi Leena! What—what're you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question." she answered while crossing her arms over her chest and shifting all her weight to one side. Bit rubbed the back of his neck and flashed her one of his patented smiles—a sure sign that he was doing something suspicious. Leena rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb behind her. "I'm getting a snack. And you?"

"Same here." he said hastily while walking over to the kitchen.

"Why were you opening the door then?" Bit paused in the doorway and turned his head to face her. The light from the kitchen outlined his body, giving him an almost angelic glow. Leena's heart gave a little pang in her chest.

"I do strange things when I'm tired. I probably would have ended up on a dune out in the desert somewhere if you didn't wake me up from my trance." Leena considered him for a moment.

"You're lying." she stated as she brushed past him. Not in the mood to argue, Bit raised hid hands in defeat.

"Whatever. I'm going back to bed."

"I thought you were hungry." Bit shrugged.

"Hunger comes and goes." he said while disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. Leena watched him go in silence. _That was weird. Bit was behaving so strangely. I bet he's hiding something._ A small surge of anger and hurt coursed through her veins. _Well, he's not going to get off that easily! I'm going to get to the bottom of this!_ And with that last thought, she crept after him.

---

Bit walked away from the kitchen at a faster pace than he had come. He was eager to clear his mind, and going for a run with the Liger always seemed to do the trick. _Plus_ he thought _I can always talk to Liger about these things. I can trust him to not pry into my past._ After a minute or so, he slowed his pace considerably and began to feel a little guilty for leaving Leena behind without any warning. _Maybe I should trust her. I mean, she is my teammate after all. But then again, she'd probably tell everyone and I'd get all this false sympathy from the team. Or worse—they could send me to some stupid psychiatrist that has no consideration toward my feelings._ Bit shuddered, remembering a few so-called doctors that he had been sent to as a child. He shook his head. _I don't want any of that. I stayed with the Blitz team to get away from my past, not to be forced to tell my life story._

But that was the thing about the Blitz team, he'd never had any kind of trouble with them prying into his life before. It was probably because Leena's mother had died when she was young, so everyone tended to steer away from conversations dealing with the past. And that suited Bit just fine. Anywhere else, people would frequently ask him about where he was from or what it was like for him growing up. It was just too painful to deal with all the questions that were directed at him. And even if he wanted to, he couldn't answer all of them. He couldn't remember anything about his childhood from before that horrible night when he was six. All the doctors—or quacks, as his brother would so often call them—said it was because he had experienced something extremely traumatic at a very young age. But they also had told him that he would eventually regain his memory, and the fact was, he hadn't. It was awful not remembering anything happy from his childhood—not that the nuns at the orphanage were mean to him or anything, it was just that he was always so lonely. Bit had often wondered why his brother and sister hadn't lost their memories, too. They were still young when their parents were killed, but they remembered things from before that night—happy things like family vacations on the beach or his father's office Christmas parties. It wasn't that he wished his brother and sister had forgotten everything too, it was just that he was jealous of them. _I just want one memory—a happy memory that's not full of sorrow. That's all I want. Is that too much to ask for?_

Bit sighed and shook his head. He looked around and realized that he had missed the hangar's turnoff once again. Luckily, he had only passed it by a couple of feet. So he backtracked a bit and turned down the corridor. Bit shuddered; he didn't think it was possible, but it was even darker now that he had strayed from the main hallway. It was the absence of the pale orange glow of the occasional round emergency light, he noted. Bit shrugged and quickened his pace until he reached the end of the corridor. It was lighter there, probably so that one could see the door lock to type in the access code. Visibly relaxing, he punched in the six-digit code and entered the hangar.

Bit was greeted by the soft, yellow glow of industrial lights and the low drone of the base's generator. The atmosphere comforted his frazzled nerves and he almost gave into the compulsion to lay down on the floor and sleep. But the effects of the room were only momentary; within a minute, all his worries came flooding back to him. Sighing sadly, he made his way over to the Liger and sat down on one of his front paws.

'What's wrong?'

Bit rested his elbow on his knee and cupped his chin in his hand. "Nothing…I'm just thinking." he replied in a miserable tone.

'Was it the dream again?' Bit nodded sadly. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

"There's nothing new to really talk about."

'Try me. I'll listen anyway.' Liger said as softly as a zoid could.

"No, I don't really want to talk." he choked while fighting back the tears that he was sure would come anyway. _I'm not going to cry. Not this time._ The Liger sensed his partner's pain.

'It's alright to cry. All humans do it. I promise I won't tell anyone.' Bit managed a weak smile.

"It's n-not like you could tell anyone anyway. I'm the only o-one who can understand you." he stuttered while rubbing fiercely at his teary eyes.

'I wouldn't tell even if I was able to.' Liger replied just as softly as he had before. After another minute of rubbing at his eyes and chocking back tears, Bit gave in and let himself cry.

---

Leena tiptoed after Bit as quietly as she could. He was moving quite fast at fist, but then he slowed down after a minute or so. He was walking as if he was deep in thought; Leena doubted that even Bit was aware of where he was going. Despite the blonde's seemingly un-plotted course, Leena continued to follow him, making sure to stay as close as possible without being seen.

As the minutes passed, Leena found herself entering zone C of the base. It was the area of the base where the Blitz team did nothing but business—no recreational activities ever made their way down to zone C; it was reserved strictly for training, studying battle tactics, and giving their zoids maintenance. For a moment she thought that Bit had just happened to end up in this particular part of the base, but then she decided that it was impossible to just happen upon zone C—it was too difficult to get to. No, ending up in this zone involved a number of turns through winding corridors. It was easy enough to get to when you were looking for it, but to just end up in zone C…_Impossible_ she thought once again. _He meant to come down here. I wonder what he could be up to._

Cautiously, she followed him down a darker corridor, pausing when she heard the sound of the access code being punched in. A moment later she heard the mechanical release of the lock. Acting quickly, Leena ran toward the door to keep it from closing. She caught it with her hand just before it shut. Leena breathed a slight sigh of relief; if the door had been shut, she was sure that opening it again would give her position away.

Once in the hangar, Leena scanned the room for Bit. He was walking over to the Liger Zero. Crouching, Leena silently made her way along the catwalk so that she was positioned just above the massive zoid. It was a little dusty, but she could deal with it. Making sure not to make a sound, she laid flat on her stomach and peered over the dirty floor of the catwalk. _And now to see what he's up to._

Leena was surprised to see the face of the normally cheerful pilot so miserable. He was sitting on one of the Liger's paws with his chin resting in his hand. Bit seemed so much smaller and vulnerable when next to the colossal zoid. _Almost like a lost child_. Leena felt something tug at her heart. She wanted to cry out to him or comfort him as a mother would her baby. But she didn't do anything. After all, would a spy be willing to blow their cover?

But what happened in the next moment though, really would test her strength. She was listening to Bit have some kind of conversation with his zoid when he began to act in an odd manner. His voice was strained and cracking and he was constantly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. If Leena didn't know any better, she would say that he was about to cry. But he was Bit, the cocky blonde-haired pilot. He didn't cry or get upset—he was too happy. Yet, after a reassuring roar from the Liger, the sniffing and rubbing turned into what Leena would definitely define as crying.

It wasn't a loud, hysterical cry, but a strong and silent one—the kind of cry caused by a deep ache that no physical wound could ever inflict. Leena's heart sank as she watched Bit's shoulders heave up and down with each heartbreaking sob. And then came the whimpers. So soft, and so saddening that it was too much for Leena to bear. She stood up and jumped down from the catwalk onto the Liger's head. He gave a startled roar, but she ignored the zoid and continued her descent. Before long, she was face-to-face with Bit.

"L-Leena!" he exclaimed while jumping up and wiping his eyes fiercely. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I..." she began, but stopped, not quite knowing what to say. Instead she stared into his watery emerald eyes._They're so sad. I didn't know his eyes could hold so much sorrow._ Bit could feel her gaze burning a window into his soul. Feeling somewhat ashamed, he turned his eyes away and focused on the floor.

"You…what?" he finally asked.

"Bit…I'm—I…why?" she whispered. He didn't respond. Leena took a step forward and tentatively placed a hand on his arm. He drew back from her touch and brought his eyes to hers. They held a new emotion—fear.

"Leena…I…I have to…go." he said slowly, as though it was hard for him to speak. "I need to take Liger out for a little while. I'll be back later. Tell the others not to worry."

"But…" Bit gave her a faint smile.

"Is Leena Toros worrying about someone besides herself?" he joked, though his voice held no humor in it.

"Bit…" Leena whispered again. He just gave her another weak smile and climbed into the Liger's cockpit. A moment later, the Liger was active and moving out toward the desert horizon. Leena felt a bit of her normal anger returning. "You can't do that! You can't just act like everything's okay and nothing's wrong!" she yelled after the retreating zoid. She slumped down on her knees and watched the Liger Zero shrink in the distance.

"You can't do that…" Leena whispered to herself as she pulled her knees into her chest. "…because then you'd become like me." A few tears made their way down her face. She didn't even bother to wipe them.

Leena watched the horizon long after she lost sight of the zoid.

---

_**Until next time...**_


	4. Delirious

_**Delirious**_

Bit glanced back at the base as the Liger thundered through the desert. He saw Leena yell something at him and shrink down to her knees. It wasn't long before she was too small to see. Bit rubbed his temples and gave a light sigh; he felt a strange frustration building up inside of him. At first he mistook it for guilt, and then for anger, but it was neither. He felt it at the core of his body, slowly eating away at him. It made him want to scream and cry and lash out at the world all at once. But Bit just sat there, fidgeting in his seat, unsure of what to do.

'So, where are we going?' Liger asked after giving Bit a little time to think.

"It doesn't matter. Anywhere'll do. I just have to get away from the base for awhile." Bit answered. The strange feeling was still coursing through his veins. He wished there was something he could do—or someone he could talk to—to stop the frustration from driving him insane. And then it occurred to him that there was someone he could talk to—two someones to be exact. "Actually, Liger, take me to the repair shop."

'You got it, buddy.' Liger made a quick change in his direction and then continued on, his gigantic paws pounding down and making craters in the sand. Bit adjusted his seat and closed his eyes; he would be feeling much better soon.

---

"What's up with her?" Jamie asked Brad in a whisper. Leena had been glaring at her lomein for the past ten minutes. Jamie had said something to her about it and she practically bit his head off. He could still see her eye twitching in annoyance.

"Who knows? She's Leena. That's enough of an excuse to be moody." Brad answered a little too loudly; a moment later he was wearing Leena's lunch. "What's _your_ problem, Leena?" he asked. Brad didn't get and answer. She just glared at him and stormed off. Behind him Brad heard Jamie give a sigh of relief.

"I was sure she'd go after me, too."

"Well, lucky you." Brad said sarcastically.

"Uh…Brad?"

"What?" he snapped.

"You have lomein in your hair." Jamie said while prodding a noodle that was dangling from Brad's head.

"I know." Brad said through gritted teeth. He began to pull lomein out of his brown locks. After coming across a carrot, Brad paused and took on a thoughtful look. "Something definitely is bothering her. I mean, she can get real moody, but that was a touch too moody for even Leena's standards."

"So you admit something is wrong?" Brad nodded as he tossed the carrot onto the table. "What do you think it is?"

"I'll bet it has to do with a certain blonde teammate of ours."

"Bit?"

"Of course Bit! Who else would it be? Sheesh, Jamie, for a genius you sure can be pretty dumb." Jamie blushed and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"I wonder what he did." Jamie pondered. Brad shrugged.

"I don't know. It must've been bad, though."

"What makes you say that?"

"The fact that Leena isn't hunting down Bit as we speak is evidence enough. Usually when Bit does something to anger her, she'll just beat him up and continue with whatever she was doing."

"I suppose so…but that seems kind of illogical. People normally resort to physical violence only if they are pushed past their breaking point. You'd think that she'd try even harder to enact revenge on Bit." Jamie tapped his chin in thought. "But then again, we are talking about Leena here—logic and her just don't mix." Brad let Jamie's last comment hang in the air; instead he concentrated on picking the noodles out of his hair.

"Hey, Jamie?" Brad asked after awhile of silence.

"Yeah?"

"How do you get brown gravy out of clothes?"

---

There was no mistaking it. Leena was mad. The strange thing, though, was that she wasn't sure why she was mad. Bit hadn't really done anything wrong. In fact, she probably would've done the same exact thing if she was in his situation. Maybe it was the fact that Bit had brushed her off in a time of need. Didn't he trust her enough to comfort him?

Leena sighed and bounced her pillow around with her feet. She missed and it dropped to the floor with a soft plop.

"Arrrggggh!" she cried, burying her face into another pillow. "This sucks! Why do I feel this way?!" Leena threw the pillow across the room and sat up. She had to come to terms with herself. She had a (very small, she assured herself) crush on a certain irritatingly cute teammate of hers. And it made her mad that he could have this power over her. It made her even angrier that she was too tough (or was it too embarrassed?) to let Bit know how she felt. "If I were his girlfriend, I bet he would've let me comfort him." she grumbled.

And there it was. The reason why she was so angry. Leena relaxed in her bed and let out a small laugh. _I am such an idiot sometimes. Well, I am not going to let you get the best of me, Bit Cloud! You keep your secrets! I'm going to be perfectly happy either way!_ With that thought, she stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

---

Bit stretched and let out a yawn; it was nearing dinnertime, and he had been up since the early morning. At the moment, he was sitting in the Liger's cockpit, watching the desert scenery go by. He had spent all day talking with his brother and sister. Well, actually, he had only spent the first hour or two talking. The rest of the time he had spent helping out in the repair shop. He was tired and covered in grease.

His siblings had insisted that he stay for dinner, but he really had to return to the base. He didn't want his teammates worrying—particularly Leena, who had seen how upset he had been earlier. Leena. She was a touchy subject for him on most days. But now…

He let out a long sigh. At the moment, he was too worn out and hungry to agonize over what he would say to her. It would be awkward no matter what he said or did. Bit would just let whatever would happen, happen. He smiled, feeling suddenly optimistic; things would be okay after all.

The Liger began to slow as the base came into sight. Bit's new-found optimism faltered for a moment.

---

Jamie eyed Leena cautiously while she set the table. She was acting really nice. It was strange, to say the least. Brad noticed her behavior too.

"What's with her?" he whispered. Jamie shrugged.

"I don't know. But let's not talk about it while she's around." he said, remembering her earlier episode. Brad nodded and continued to fish around for another fork. Leena entered the kitchen wearing a big, fake (and rather scary) grin.

"I'll do that." she practically sang, while grabbing the silverware out of Brad's hands. "Why don't you go tell my dad that dinner's almost ready?"

"…Okay…" Brad said, giving Jamie a questioning look on his way out. Jamie only shrugged again.

"Leena? Are you all right?" Jamie asked once Brad had left.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Her happy tone was clearly forced.

"No reason….but you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! See?" She smiled with the most effort Jamie had ever seen anyone smile with before. It would almost be pathetic if it weren't so creepy.

"Well, if you say so…" He trailed off and began to spoon the rice into a serving bowl. "Hey, did you set a place for Bit?" There was an electric silence. Jamie could practically feel Leena's glare. "Uh…I mean he's been gone all day…but…you know…Bit and food…heh…never mind." Leena shuffled past him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said in an airy tone, deliberately turning her nose upwards. She didn't go more than a foot before crashing right into Bit. They stared at each other for a moment. Leena didn't know what to say, so she did what came naturally to her.

"Would you move!!!" she yelled, shoving him out of the way. Bit didn't react the way he normally would.

"Sorry." he muttered and walked into the kitchen. Leena was worried. She needed to see him act normal. Of course, she was not thinking properly and only responded to his apathy with more hostility.

"And you stink! What have you been doing all day?! You're covered in grease!" Bit grabbed a water from the fridge and shrugged.

"Whatever."

"Well, if you're going to eat with us, you better not sit next to me! Your stench might make me throw-up!" Leena saw Bit's eye twitch. _Good, I'm about to see some of the old Bit_.

"Would you stop yelling?! I have a headache and you're making it worse!" he snapped, rubbing his temples lightly. "And for your information, I don't feel like eating with you. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." He shoved past her before she could think of a response. Leena was stupefied. Was Bit angry with her? Or was something seriously wrong with him?

"I wish you two would stop fighting like that." Jamie said, breaking the silence. "You guys always act like little kids! Honestly." He shook his head in disapproval.

"He started it." Leena spat back and slammed the silverware on the table. "Good thing I didn't set out a dish for him!" She continued to mutter under her breath as she slammed forks and knives into their proper places.

Jamie was really beginning to wonder what had happened between his two teammates. That wasn't a normal Bit and Leena fight he had just witnessed. _Something must be wrong. Or maybe I'm just imagining things_. Either way, Jamie was happy when Brad and Doc showed up; things were just too tense with only him and Leena in the room.

---

Bit pulled an undershirt over his head and collapsed into bed. He didn't feel right. It wasn't just his head or his body that was aching; he felt something besides a cold that he might be catching. It was some kind of deep exhaustion that he felt. Bit groaned and burrowed under his sheets. He had felt like this before. A few times when he was younger, he would get severely sick for no apparent reason. The doctors had told him (or the nuns, rather, because he was too young to understand) that it was not just a physical ailment; his sickness was caused from a combination of stress, trauma, and lack of sleep. There was nothing he could really do to get better except wait it out.

If there was one thing Bit hated most in the world, it was waiting. He had done way too much of it in his lifetime, and most of the time he wasn't waiting for something good. He turned angrily onto his side and tried to sleep. Unfortunately for him, he always had a hard time sleeping when he was sick. For a moment Bit contemplated getting up and joining the others, but then he decided against it. Leena would be there, and he was in no mood to deal with her. From that moment on, his mind was racing.

Bit really liked Leena. He liked her in every definition of the word. He was pretty sure that he was in love with her, but he was too afraid to admit that to himself. They had definitely gotten closer after they had helped bring down the Back Draft group, but he still wasn't sure how well they knew each other. After all, he was hiding a big part of who he was from her. Maybe he would tell her some day, but he wasn't sure that he was ready to tell his story or that she was ready to hear it. She might freak out. Bit sighed and buried his face in his pillow. His thoughts weren't getting him anywhere. He cleared his mind.

The room began to spin slightly, and his alarm clock seemed to give off way too much light. It was painful to look at. Bit rolled over and gave into the urge to sleep.

---

Leena picked at her food. She wasn't very hungry at the moment, which was strange because there was rarely a time when she wasn't hungry.

"Does your food taste alright, Pumpkin?" Doc asked. Leena grimaced. Her dad only called her that when he thought something was wrong.

"No, it's fine. I just don't feel so well. I think I'm catching whatever that idiot Bit has." She tried to sound bitter when she said the last part, but she wasn't sure it came out correctly.

"Why don't you lay down for awhile then?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Thanks, Dad." Leena pushed her chair away from the table and left the room. She had lied when she had said that she felt sick, but she knew it would let her sneak away without making anyone suspicious. What she really wanted to do was check up on Bit. He had been acting so strange ever since she had seen him earlier. She frowned at the memory. She needed to find out what was going on.

When Leena reached Bit's door, she knocked softly. There was no answer and she tried again. She listened for any movement inside, but everything was quiet. She was a little annoyed that Bit was ignoring her. Leena growled and opened his door. After she let her eyes adjust to the darkness, she realized that he was asleep. She quickly left the room and entered her own. _Maybe he really isn't feeling well._ She immediately felt guilty for treating him the way she did when he had come home. Leena made a mental note to be nicer to him the next time she saw him.

---

_Bit was locked in a closet with his brother and sister. Smoke was trickling in through the crack of the door, stinging his eyes and newly formed cut. He cried out for help, but no one came. His blood was running down his chest and dripping onto the carpet. Smoke soon filled the small room completely. He couldn't breathe. Bit prayed. He prayed for a miracle. He prayed that someone would come and save them. He could hear the painful coughs of his brother and sister. Bit could feel the cool perspiration on his hot skin. It felt as though the room itself was on fire…it was so hot. _

_He found himself wishing for death. He didn't want to suffer any longer. Bit started to feel dizzy and sick. He swayed and collapsed to the floor along with his brother and sister. Right before he lost consciousness, someone opened the door. Heat poured into the room from the exposed flames. He strained his eyes to see who their rescuer was, but his vision was blurred from all the smoke. All he could make out was a dark figure among the bright orange flames. The last thing he thought before he passed out was how hot it was._

--- _  
_

Bit shot up in bed, nearly falling over from the sudden movement. He felt awful. His head was pounding and he felt like he might throw up at any moment. He glanced at his clock. It was almost 2 in the morning. He needed aspirin or water or anything that would make him feel even a tiny bit better.

Bit cautiously sat up again and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The room seemed to lag behind and then lurch forward to catch up. The movement was too much for him. He stumbled forward and vomited into his garbage can. Afterwards he sat on the floor, too exhausted to move.

What seemed like an eternity later, he decided to try walking again. The movement still made him nauseous, but not enough to make him throw up again. Using the wall for support, he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Luckily for him, it was just across the hall and to the left of Leena's room. When he got there, he gripped the sink for support and splashed cold water on his face.

Bit stood there for a few moments longer and then searched the cabinet for some kind of medicine. He found a bottle of aspirin and took it off the shelf. He must have been weaker than he had previously thought, because he was having great difficulty opening the bottle. He gritted his teeth and clawed at the cap. _Stupid bottle. Why. Won't. You. Open!_ The top finally popped off and the aspirin flew everywhere, making a huge racket.

"Shit." He sat down on the floor and began to gather the pills. A light flicked on in the hallway. When he looked up he saw Leena. _It figures it'd be her_. "Can I help you with something?" he asked. Maybe if he deliberately acknowledged her, she would be less suspicious. At least, that's what he hoped. Leena crossed her arms and sighed. She looked slightly annoyed, but not angry. Odd.

"No. It looks like you're the one who needs help." Before Bit could respond, she knelt down next to him and started scooping up pills. Bit stayed quiet and watched Leena's hands move from the floor to the bottle and back again. It was almost hypnotic. He was broken out of his trance when she thrust her hand forward. "Here." Bit held out his hand and she dropped two aspirin into his palm. "You really are sick, huh? I thought you were faking." He looked away.

"I'm fine. I just have a headache." Leena looked skeptical.

"I don't believe you." She stood up and filled a glass with water. "You want this?" she asked, holding the glass out unceremoniously. Bit nodded and she passed the glass over, her hand touching his as she did so. Her eyes widened. "Bit! You're burning up!" She went to feel his forehead with the back of her hand, but he swatted it away.

"I just have warm hands." he said defensively. Giving her a good glare, he popped the aspirin into his mouth and angrily downed the glass of water. He immediately decided that doing so was a bad idea. Leena watched him pale and bring a hand to his mouth. She quickly grabbed the garbage pale and shoved it in front of him just in time.

"Better?" Leena asked when the retching finally stopped. He nodded weakly. "Good." She smacked him upside the head. "What is wrong with you?! You're sick, so stop acting like you're fine!" Bit stared at her. _I don't think I'll ever figure Leena out_.

"Alright. I may be sick. Happy?"

"No. Why would you being sick make me happy?" She snapped. Bit groaned. He could just never win with Leena. "Now, hold still." She leaned forward. Her face was dangerously close to his. Bit jerked back and banged his head on the wall.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled while inching away. His heart was pounding. Leena growled and pinned him to the wall.

"I'm checking your temperature, stupid! Now hold still." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. Bit was feeling dizzy again.

"Hey, you have little freckles on your nose."

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate." But she couldn't concentrate. Not when their noses were touching and their lips were only inches apart. She let out a frustrated sigh and pushed herself back.

"Well that didn't work at all." Leena mumbled.

"Does it usually?"

"I don't know. I've never taken someone's temperature before. That's how my mom always did it…"

"That's great. Can I go now?" Bit asked, trying feebly to get up.

"No, dumb-dumb. I'll just use a thermometer." She stood up and rummaged through the cabinet. Bit closed his eyes and rested his head against the cool tile of the wall. He opened them when Leena shoved something in his ear. "Stop fidgeting." she scolded when he tried to turn his head to see what she was doing. The thermometer beeped and she pulled it out of his ear. "Bit, this says you have a fever of 104.5!"

"Oh." He shrugged. Leena looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm going to get my dad. He'll know what to do." She went to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

"No. I'll be fine. Just give me some more aspirin." Leena pulled out of his grasp.

"You are nuts! Just stay put and I'll be right—"

"I said no!" he exclaimed. Leena stopped talking. "I don't feel like being the center of attention right now, okay? And if you get anyone I'll—I'll leave before you come back. I'll take the Liger Zero." Leena crossed her arms and felt her eye twitch. _He's not lying_.

"You. Are. So. Stupid." she said through gritted teeth. She looked ready to say something else, but she was distracted when Bit grabbed the garbage pale and started heaving into it. Leena sighed and sat down next to him. She rubbed his back and lightly scratched the back of his neck.

"Can you stay for awhile?" He asked when he was done.

"Who said I was leaving? Don't think you've won just because you yelled and then threw-up. If your fever doesn't go down in an hour, I'm getting my dad. And I don't care if I have to lock you in this puke-smelling bathroom to keep you here!"

"Thanks." he whispered.

"Yeah, well…" she trailed off. "Bit? This morning in the hangar…why were you…" she paused, clearly trying to pick her words carefully. "…in there talking with the Liger?" Bit leaned back against the wall and didn't say anything. Leena's hand was still touching his neck. He wondered briefly if she could feel his heart pounding. "You can talk to me too, you know." she said quietly. He turned his head toward her and she blushed. To her credit though, she didn't break eye contact. He looked away.

"I know. I just don't feel like talking about it, okay?" Bit chanced a look in her direction. At first she appeared hurt, and then angry—which Bit knew could also be interpreted as hurt when dealing with Leena.

"Fine." she spat, pulling her hand away. "If you would rather talk to some stupid hunk of metal than me, then be that way!" She turned away from him, but didn't leave. She was mad, but she was staying. Bit felt a warm feeling rise in his chest and he couldn't help but hug her. Leena stiffened and turned around in his arms. She was blushing again.

"Shut up." he said against her neck. She hugged him back.

"This fever sure has you acting weird." She let out a strange, nervous laugh.

"Yeah."

"But don't think this means that I'm not still mad at you. Because I am!" Bit didn't say anything. "Are you even listening to me?" He replied by snoring softly in her ear. _Oh for the love of—he's asleep! Typical Bit_. "C'mon, sleepy. You need to get to bed."

---

_**Until next time...**_

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I suck for not updating in…years. But I'm back, and I'm going to finish this thing if it's the last thing I do! I'm going to try and update at least once every two weeks (but hopefully every week!) from now on! I might even update my other fic as well. But you'll have to see. I might leave that one marinating until I am done with this. Anyway, those of you who have actually stuck with me, thanks! I love you all :)

-Madam Midnight-


	5. The Return

_**The Return**_

---

_Bit could hear the distant wail of sirens. A melee of bright colors and flashing lights made his head spin as he gazed upon the scene with blurred vision. A distorted image of woman's face hovered above his head. He closed his eyes and reopened them in an attempt to focus his eyesight. This time the woman's face came in clear. She looked at him with teary eyes and called out his name. He wanted to respond, but he found that he couldn't speak. _

_He lay there in a silent stupor, trying to register what was going on. A man in a white uniform pushed the woman out of the way. A sense of fear and abandonment washed over him; he didn't want the woman to leave. He thrashed violently in protest, but it was to no avail. He soon gave up and went limp in defeat. _

_More men in uniforms came and lifted him onto a stretcher. As they were loading him into the ambulance, he caught sight of his brother and sister. He watched helplessly as they too were taken away. As paramedics swarmed around him, his eyes fell upon two black body bags. One of them was zipped up—covering the corpse inside, the other was partially opened. A man was leaning over it, examining the body. He moved aside and Bit could see his mother's pale, expressionless face sticking out of the black plastic. _

"_Mommy!" he cried. The man turned around and gave him a sympathetic look before zipping up the bag. The doors to the ambulance were shut and Bit could feel himself moving. With his last ounce of strength he shot up off the stretcher and peered out the circular window. Sounds of protest came from the paramedics and he was pulled back. He stretched out his hand and touched the glass. "No! Mommy!" he screamed. He could no longer see out the window. Bit began to sob as all sorts of IVs and needles were stuck into him. His eyelids suddenly felt very heavy and he soon fell unconscious._

---

Bit opened his eyes slowly. Cautiously he sat up and was pleased to find that the room wasn't spinning. Though he still didn't feel at all well, it was still a large improvement from the other night. He placed his feet on the floor and tried to remember how he had gotten back to his room. Bit remembered hugging Leena, and then…nothing. She couldn't have carried him back by herself. Did he walk? He sighed. _I'll have to ask her later_.

After trying a few times, Bit managed to find the strength to walk to the bathroom. He took a long, hot shower and found himself feeling quite a bit better. Bit looked at himself in the steamed mirror. He poked at the skin under his eyes, wondering when he had started to look like a zombie. He was a little paler than normal as well, but he decided it wasn't that noticeable. His eyes drifted down to his collar bone and he fingered the faint white scar that he had received years ago. He shuddered at the memory and left to get dressed.

---

Leena glanced at the clock for the fifteenth time that morning. It was almost nine. She mumbled something under her breath and poked at her cereal with her spoon. Brad and Jamie shared a look. Doc was oblivious as usual, and sat playing with his zoid models. Bit walked in just as he was pretending that his scrambled eggs were enemy missiles.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked, even though he felt like his stomach would revolt if he tried to put anything in it. Leena perked up.

"About time you showed up. You're so lazy!" There was a short silence. The others waited for an explosion. Then she smiled and jabbed her spoon toward the cabinet. "There's cereal if you want." Jamie let out a long breath.

"I guess they made up." Brad whispered. Leena shot him a glare. Jamie elbowed him in the ribs. Doc showered his zoids in eggs and bacon. All-in-all, it was a fairly normal breakfast. After they had finished, Jamie announced a meeting in the conference room.

"Twenty minutes." he said. "Come dressed and ready!" He left, with Brad following close behind. Doc ran off in the other direction saying something about enemy hash browns. Leena stayed behind and watched Bit dump his cereal down the sink. He had hardly eaten more than a spoonful. She walked up beside him and poked him lightly in the side.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"I've been worse. Thanks for…uh…last night." She bushed and looked down at her hands.

"There's nothing to thank. I was just making sure you're dumb butt didn't die before today's battle."

"Well, thanks anyway. And how did you get me back to my room?" Leena arched an eyebrow at him.

"Wow. You must've been really sick. I helped you walk back. We even had a conversation about old zoid parts. Though, I don't think you had any idea what you were talking about." She punched him in the arm. "No different than usual, I guess."

"Hey!" He pinched her arm and laughed. Silence settled between the two, though it was in no way awkward. "I guess we'd better get ready."

"Do you feel well enough to fight?"

"Yeah. I'm not _that_ sick."

"Well, all right. See you in a few." She walked out of the room. Bit stared at her retreating behind and could have sworn that she was swaying her hips on purpose.

---

They were all crowded in the conference room. It was hot and Leena was complaining, which caused Bit to comment, which then started a fight. Doc cleared his throat impatiently. It had no effect. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Cookies!" he shouted. Bit and Leena turned toward him.

"Where?" Bit asked.

"Cookies…for whoever gets the most hits in today's battle?" he finished lamely. It seemed to satisfy them, though, so he continued. "Now, Jamie, if you will brief the team on what's going on?"

"Of course, Doc." he said while typing something in on the computer. A hologram of three zoids appeared at the center of the table. "Now, as you all know, we're facing the Raiders. They're usually at the bottom of their class, but something has caused them to go on a winning streak. From what I hear, they've equipped one of their zoids with a new weapon that can take out almost any type of zoid around. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what this weapon is, or which zoid has it. So the best thing to do is take out the zoids as soon as possible—before they have a chance to use the weapon.

"They have a total of three zoids; a Lightning Saix, a Raynos, and an Iron Kong. This is an extremely hard lineup to beat; they've got it all: speed, flying power, durability, and wide range gun-fire. I figure we can use the Liger Zero's Jager armor to take out the Lightning Saix, but the other two zoids are a problem. Even with Jager's speed, it may take Bit awhile to take out the Saix, so that just leaves the Shadow Fox and the Gun Sniper to take down the other two zoids. Now, if Leena can get close enough to the Iron Kong, she should be able to breech its armor if she uses all her ammo in one shot. However, if this doesn't work, the Gun Sniper can't do much else, so I'm really counting on you, Leena.

"So now that we've taken care of the Saix and the Iron Kong, we are left with the Raynos. Brad, this is where you come in. You can use your smoke screen to hide yourself from its aerial view, and then shoot it down with your missiles. Now, you have to be quick when you're doing this because the Raynos is an extremely fast zoid; you have a limited amount of missiles, so aim carefully. If all goes as planned, we should be able to come out with a victory. Does anyone have any questions?"

When no one answered, he continued. "Well, all right then! Suit up and move out!"

"Right!" they shouted back.

"Let's do this!" Bit yelled.

"Yeah!" Leena added. "And I'm going to win those cookies, Bit Cloud, so don't you even think for one second that your dirty little hands are going to touch them!"

"Hey! I do not have—"

"Guys!" Jamie yelled. "Focus?" They gave him sheepish looks and dashed out of the room after Brad. "What're we going to do with them, Doc?" Doc laughed and placed an arm on his shoulder.

"Ah, young love. You know, when I was their age…" Jamie smacked his palm to his forehead and groaned.

---

"Ugghh." Bit groaned over the com link. Leena's face appeared on the screen in front of him.

"Are you sure you want to battle? It's not too late to drop out, you know."

"No. I can make it." he assured her.

"If you say so…" Leena sighed. "Bit?"

"Hmm?"

"Be careful out there." Before he could respond, she had disconnected her link. Bit smiled.

"I will."

"Everyone ready?" Doc asked over a shared com link.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Bit answered to himself. He pulled the controls and pushed a few buttons. "Bit here, mobilizing the Liger Zero Jager!" He felt the Liger lurch forward. He squinted as he entered the bright sunlight. A moment later Brad and Leena landed next to him.

"Where's the other team?" Leena asked while searching the horizon. "No one is out there!" Bit looked with her. All he could see was the vast emptiness of the desert. A dry wind blew up some sand.

"Something doesn't feel right." Bit said cautiously.

"Bit! Behind you!" Leena yelled. He turned around just in time to see something crash into the Liger's side. He was thrown backwards by the sudden impact.

Bit's head snapped back and then hit the controls as it came forward again. "What the hell was that?!" he asked while rubbing his neck.

"I don't know." Brad answered. "Whatever it was is gone now."

"There it is again!" Leena cried. It was heading straight for the Liger. "Bit, get outta there!" Bit put the Jager into full throttle and dodged the attack. When he turned around, it was gone again.

"Did anyone see where it went?" Before anyone could answer him, he felt the mysterious force hit him again. He went sailing forwards and landed upside down. "Damn it! How are we supposed to fight what we can't see?!" He turned the Jager right side up and scanned the area for anything unusual. The wind shifted the sand once again. A zoid part stuck up out of the sand. "What's that?" Bit asked.

"I can't tell from here." Brad replied. Bit zoomed in on the object with the Liger's computer.

"It looks like a…zoid!" he yelled.

"Oh my god! It's one of the zoids from the Raiders team!" Leena called in shock. She directed her Gun Sniper over to the motionless zoid. Before she could reach it, the thing that had attacked Bit popped up out of the sand and pulled her under.

"Leena!" Bit cried. He forced his zoid forward to the spot that Leena had just been and frantically searched the sand for her. A moment later, the Gun Sniper appeared, struggling against the strangest zoid Bit had ever seen. The body structure looked like that of a Hell Cat's, but it had the wings, tail, and facial features of a Diamond Dragon. Its plating was black and blood red.

"What is it?" Brad asked, mystified.

"I don't know, but it's got Leena! We gotta help her!" Bit yelled as he watched the strange zoid slash at the Gun Sniper with its tail. It then stood up to its full height and looked directly at the Liger.

"Bit!" Leena's voice came from over the com link. Her connection was all scrambled and he could barely hear her. "My system is frozen!"

"Hold on, Leena!" he called to her. "Brad! Go to Leena and make sure that she's okay! I'll distract that thing for you!"

"I'm on it!" Brad answered. Bit charged at the zoid while Brad ran around it to Leena's Gun Sniper.

"Hello, Bit." a familiar voice growled over the com link.

"Who are you?!" Bit screamed in anger.

"You mean you don't remember me? I'm really hurt that you'd forget." he said in a mocking tone. "Well maybe it's because of my new zoid. I'd like to introduce you to the Shadow Digger. It can reach high velocities both on ground and in the air. And, as I've demonstrated with your teammate already, it can tunnel underground for an unavoidable attack. Impressive, no?" Bit growled.

"What do you want?!"

"I want you to you to die!" the man yelled. He flew up into the air and hovered over Jager for a few seconds. The next thing he knew, the zoid was coming at him at an alarming rate. Bit dodged the attack as best as he could, but the Liger's left hind leg was damaged.

"I'm impressed, young Cloud. Not many have been able to escape the Shadow Digger's aerial bomb attack. But then again, you could have just been lucky." He laughed coldly. "Be it luck or skill, you won't escape again!" He flew into the air once more. Bit knew what was coming; he waited until the enemy zoid started its attack before he jumped out of the way. Bit spun his zoid around and landed a blow to the Shadow Digger's side with his Strike Laser Claw attack.

"Rule number one in zoid battles: Never use the same attack twice in a row!"

"Getting cocky, are we?" the mystery pilot spat. "If you'll notice, your pathetic attack inflicted minimal damage on the Shadow's thick armor. It'll take a lot more than that to bring me down!" Suddenly shots came from behind them and hit the man's zoid. "Where the fuck is that coming from?!"

"Rule number two," Brad said, "Never turn your back on an opponent. You alright, Bit?"

"Fine. How's Leena?"

"She's fine. I think she's just in shock right now."

"I'm sorry to interrupt this little reunion, boys, but I'm on a tight schedule." the man said through gritted teeth. "You'll pay for that little trick, fox boy!" He flew up into the air, but this time he didn't use an aerial bomb attack. Four guns, two on each side of the zoid's wings, emerged from underneath the armor. "Try my Laser Disk Barrage attack on for size!" He fired at Brad's Shadow Fox. Eight bright orange, disk-like lasers came flying towards him. Brad dodged the shots, but they doubled back and hit him.

"Fuck!" he cursed while bashing the screen that blinked SYSTEM FREEZE. "Be careful, Bit! Those shots stay locked on!"

"Don't worry, I won't let this bastard take me down!"

"Oh, so I'm a bastard now, am I?" The man chuckled evilly. "I don't think I've ever been called that before. Well, except maybe by your father." Bit's world came crashing down.

"W-what?"

"Oh, yes." he drawled, "Your father called me many things that I didn't like. That's why I had to get rid of him."

"It's you!" Bit growled.

"Ah yes, it is me. What a brilliant observation." The man paused to laugh, and then continued. "I remember coming to your house that night. I remember the feeling I had when I killed your parents. I remember trying to kill you and your siblings. It all was going so well, but then that bitch came and saved you all. It was disappointing to say the least, but I was positive that I would be able to hunt you down and kill you later. But you were too well hidden—too well protected. I couldn't get to you, damn it!" His voice was now filled with malice. "And then I found you. You took down my Backdraft group single handed, Bit Cloud. The Zoids Battle Commission were fools to broadcast your name everywhere. It was simple after that. All I had to do was find the Blitz Team. And here you are. You're mine now…"

"Why?" Bit asked softly. "Why do you want to do all of this?"

"Because I want power and you and your family are a major threat to that! Prepare to die, Bit Cloud!"

"You're insane!" Bit yelled.

"Well, I have no way of proving it, but I happen to be quite aware, and definitely not crazy. So this is how it ends for you." He laughed once more. "Who would've thought that I would come back for you after all these years. It's just too perfect. Good-bye, Bit Cloud." With that, he dove into the dessert sand and disappeared from view.

"Damn it!" Bit cursed. He brought up a com link with Jamie. "Jamie, can you use the computer to find out where he is?! I can't see him!"

"I think I can reflect the radar off into the sand and—"

"Jamie!"

"Sorry. He's right behind you, Bit! And it looks like he's about to attack, too!" Bit put Jager's boosters on full blast and moved just as the Shadow Digger emerged from the ground.

"What?! How did I miss?!" he shouted in rage. "No matter, I'll just get you with my Diamond Daggers!" He lifted the tail of his zoid into the air and aimed it at the Liger. The spikes that ran the length of the tail began to grow an angry red. Bit knew that if he didn't do something soon, he would be done for. "There's no running! My Diamond Daggers attack can penetrate any armor and travel at speeds that top the fastest zoids!"

_I've got to think of something._ Bit thought frantically. _That's it!_ He powered up for his Strike Laser Claw attack and aimed for the Shadow Digger's tail.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Stop at once!" the man ordered with a slight hint of fear present in his voice. Bit didn't listen. He hit the zoid's tail just as the daggers fired. The tail dangled by a few scraps of metal and sent daggers every which way. They pierced into the Jager's armor, as well as the Shadow Digger. "Damn you, Cloud! I'll be back for you and your siblings!" he called as he retreated in his damaged zoid.

"No..." Bit whispered before blacking out.

---

"How're you holding up, Pumpkin?" Doc asked for the third time in fifteen minutes. Leena didn't answer. She felt like she was going to be sick, so she just continued staring at the wall in silence. Doc glanced at Jamie and Brad, but didn't pry anymore.

They had been waiting there for over two hours with no news of Bit's condition. After rushing him to the emergency room, the Blitz team had been ushered into a private waiting room with no windows. No one had entered since then. It was driving Leena mad. Finally, after another half hour of waiting, she rose suddenly, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. Doc shot up after her.

"Are you—"

"Fine. I just need some air." she interrupted. Then, before her dad could ask her if she needed company, she added "I'm fine by myself." Doc merely nodded, sitting back down in defeat.

Leena exited the horribly cramped room and walked down the hall with as neutral a face as she could manage. She could see the information desk just ahead of her, and she marched a bit faster.

"I demand to know the status of Bit Cloud." she said firmly upon arriving at the desk. The woman jumped slightly at her tone, but still smiled at her.

"Ah, just a moment." She typed something in on the computer. After a moment she frowned. "I'm sorry, we don't have any updated information at the moment. If you could just--"

"No! I've been waiting for almost three hours in a windowless room with no ventilation. I'm sweaty, dirty, and tired and stuck waiting in a battle uniform! So you better find out what the status of Bit Cloud is!" She was breathing hard now and was drawing a few looks from passing hospital workers. The woman at the desk look nervous.

"I-I'm sorry. But there's nothing I can do." She expected Leena to rage, to throw things, to hit her even, but instead Leena took a deep breath and burst into tears. Huge sobs racked her body as she slid to the floor, unable to support herself. The woman ran out from behind the desk and placed her arms around Leena's shoulders. At some point a few other nurses came over as well. They said soothing things to her and led her over to a nearby chair where Doc found her half an hour later, holding a cup of tea, freshly showered and dressed in a spare set of scrubs. He sat down beside her. After a few moments she acknowledged his presence.

"I kinda freaked out." she said softly. Doc placed an arm around her and stroked her hair softly.

"It's okay." he said finally.

"It's just that being here…in the hospital---in this situation…reminds me of mom…when she…" She cut herself off and began sobbing again. She hugged her father tightly and buried her face in his chest. "I j-just want him to be okay! What…what if he…" She sobbed harder. After a minute or two, Doc gently pushed her an arm's length away. He looked at her face and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Leena. You know Bit. He's strong, and has been through much worse. I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"You really think so?" she sniffed. He smiled softly.

"I know so." he said with conviction. Leena settled down after that, resting her head on her father's shoulder. Worry bubbled in Doc's gut, for he hoped that the universe wouldn't catch him in a lie.

---

_**Until next time…**_

**Author's Note: **Yeah, so I still suck at updating T_T So, I'm not going to make any promises as to when I'll next update this thing. HOWEVER, I am intent on finishing this story!!! Reviews are greatly appreciated!!!

-Madam Midnight-


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